Damper-actuating device



N0. 620,375. Patented Feb. 28, |899. J. P. STEARNS.

DAMPER ACTUATING DEVICE.

(Application led May 31, 1898.)

iNo Model.)

TM: Nsnms PETERS co, PHoTo-mo.. WASHINGTON n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN P. STEARNS, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

' DAMPER-ACTUATINGDEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 620,375-, dated February 28, 1899.

l Application filed May 31, 1.898. Serial No. 682,128. (No model.)

To @ZZ whom, iv' may concern:

Be it knownthat I, JOHN P. STEARNs, of Cambridge, in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Damper-Actuating Devices, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawings, is a specific-ation, like letters on the drawings representing like parts.

The present invention relates to a damperactuating mechanism for grates or fireplaces, the object of the invention being to operate the damper by means of a rod which can be pulled out, as by a knob which normally stands close to the front Wall of the fireplace or grate, and at the same time to so arrange the parts that the said knob need not be left protruding from the wall when the damper is open. This is accomplished in accordance with the invention by providing the damperoperating rod with an actuating member arranged to have a longitudinal movement independent of that of the said damper-operating rod, so that after the latter has been moved to the desired position the actuating member can be disengaged therefrom and restored to its normal position, whereby the actuating-knob may be left close to the wall of the grate after the damper has been moved to the desired position,whether open or closed.

A further object of the invention is to afford means whereby the damper will remain in any desired position intermediate of its Y completely-open or completely-closed position, this being accomplished by providing the damper-rod with a guide-support in which it is frictionally engaged, the friction being sufticientto overcome the tendency of the ldamper to move in either direction from the a small knob, while the former construction is objectionable for the reason that when the damper is open the rod has to be left protruding beyond .the face of the grate, thus inj uring the appearance thereof, besides being i-n the way.

The damper-rod embodying the present invention combines the advantages of the straight-pull rod with those of the rotating knob, the damper being easily operated, while it is not necessary in any event to leave the actuatingknob protruding. Furthermore, in the straight-pull rods heretofore used it has been necessary to leave the damper fully open or fully closed, there having been no means for maintaining it in an intermediate position.

Figure lis a longitudinal section of a dam= peractuating device embodying the invention, a portion of the face and body of the grate being also shown, the former being in section; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section on a larger scale, showing the parts in the position in which they will be after the damper is opened, but before the handle is restored to normal position; Fig. 3, a similar view showing the parts in the position in which they will be when the damper is closed, and Fig. 4 is a cross-section on a still larger scale.

. The grate or fireplace A may be of any suitable or usual construction,being shown as provided Withthe face portion A2, and the damper B, arranged to be opened and closed by a movement on a pivotal support B2 through the agency of an arm B3. To actuate the said arm andmove the damper, the actuating mechanism embodying the present invention comprises an operating-rod a, connected at one end with said arm B3 and provided vvith an actuating member b, shown as a rod, provided with a knob b2, which nor- `mally stands, as shown in Figs. l and 3, close to the face of the grate. In' order that the .said actuating-knob may be restored to its normal position after it has been pulled out to open the damper without again acting upon the said damper to close the same, the rod b is arranged to be disengaged from the rod a and is longitudinally movable with relation thereto, the said rod b being herein shown as provided with a pin or projection badapted to enter a slot a3, which is formed in a sleeve a2, directly connected with the rod a and arranged to inclose the rod b. The length of the said slot is substantially equal to or greater than the extent of movement required to throw the damper from its closed to its open position, and vice versa, so that IOO when the knob b2 is pulled out, as shown in Fig. 2, the pin b3, engaging the end of the slot a3, will act upon the same to pull the rod a a sufficient distance to open the damper, after which the handle portion Z) can be moved inward, the pin b3 traveling along the slot a3 without producing any corresponding movement of the rod a.

As herein shown, the rod Z) is provided with a restoring-spring Z2, the said spring tending to restore the handle portion Z) to its normal position when released by the person operating the damper. The said spring may convenien tly be inclosed within the sleeve a2 and connected with the rod a, the stress of the spring in this construction not being sufficiently strong to overcome the resistance of the damper-rod, which will not respond to the movement of the rod b unless it is positively engaged therewith through the agency of the pin U. Assuming, therefore, that the damper is closed (see Fig. 3) and that the knob ZJ2 is pulled to the position shown in Fig. 2, it is obvious that the sleeve a2 and the rod a will be drawn to the position therein shown, and that the knob Z22 on being released will return toits normal position, the pin b3 travcling in the slot a3, the parts finally assuming the position shown in Fig. l. It is necessary, therefore, to afford means for rengaging the actuating member or rod Z) with the operating-rod a. in order to close the damper, it being obviously necessary to rst pull out the knob Z22 and then push it in after the rod Z) is rengaged with the operating-rod, so as to produce a corresponding movement of the latter. To this end the slot a3 is shown as provided with a lateral slot or recess a4, the wall of which affords an engaging shoulder a5 for the pin b3, it being necessary only to pull out the rod from the position shown in Fig. l and give the same a slight turn to cause the pin Z13 to enter the slot a4, as shown in Fig. 2. An inward movement of the rod ZJ will then produce a corresponding inward movement of the operating-rod a to close the damper, the parts then being in the position shown in Fig. 3. In order that the said damper may remain in any intermediate position, if desired, the operating-rod a is provided with a guide-tube c, the sleeve d2 and its contained parts being shown as tting snugly into the said tube c and adapted to travel longitudinally therein. In order that the said rod may be retained in any desired position and at the same time have no tendency to bind, the sleeve a2 is shown as provided with a spring a6, which is arranged to engage with the inner surface of the tube c, so that while the sleeve a2 can be easily pushed through the said tube c it will be frictionally engaged thereby with sufficient effeet to overcome the tendency of the damper to fall into either its open or closed position.

The operation of the act uating-rod Z) is obviously the same when the damper is to be wholly opened or partly opened, since it will return toits normal position from any position to which it may be pulled. The said rod Z) may be provided with a suitable scale, as best shown in Fig. 2, and marked in anyway which may be desirable, so that the person operating the same can tell to what extent the damper is open by observing the position of the rod when the pin b3 is in the slot a4 and can regulate the damper accordingly.

It is not intended to limit the invention to the specific construction herein shown to illustrate the same, since modifications may obviously be made without departing from the invention.

I claim- 1. The combination with a pivotally-supported fireplace-dam per; of a longitudinallymovable rod pivotally connected therewith and provided with a sleeve; a guide-support for said sleeve; an actuating member extending into the said sleeve; and means for engaging and disengaging said actuating member and said sleeve, whereby the sleeve can be engaged and moved by the actuating-rod and the said actuating-rod then disengaged and restored to its normal position, substantially as described.

2. The combination with a pivotally-supported fireplace-damper, of a longitudinallymovable operating member pivotally connected therewith, an actuating member independent of said operating mem ber,one of said members being sleeved upon the other, a guide-support for the outer member projecting inward from the front wall of the fireplace, and means for engaging and disengaging said members, whereby the operating member can be engaged and moved by the actuating member and the latter then disengaged and restored to its normal position, substantially as described.

3. The combination with a grate-damper, of the rod a connected with said damper and provided with the sleeve a2 having the slot a3 and the laterally-extending slot or recess CL4,

the actuating member ZJ, and the engaging projection b3, a guide-support for said sleeve, and a friction-spring, as a6, interposed between said sleeve and said guide-support, substantially as and for the purpose described.

4. An actuating device for a grate-damper comprising alongitudinally-movable rod connected with said damper, a handle portion arranged to be engaged with or disengaged from the said rod, a guide-support for the said rod and the said handle portion, and a spring for restoring said handle portion to its normal position relative to said guide-support when disengaged from said rod, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

.JOI-IN P. STEARNS.

Witnesses:

H. J. LIvnRMonn, NANCY C. FORD.

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